The four-time All-America City award-winner Peoria usually shows up on "best" lists somewhere, and the River City has definitely earned the accolades. Peoria has long been used as a benchmark for mainstream America, even earning itself a catch-phrase, "Will it play in Peoria?" It is home to one of the country's most beautiful drives -- Grandview Drive -- once acknowledged as such by President Theodore Roosevelt.

If you select a Peoria apartment, you'll enjoy a modern Midwestern city filled with hiking trails, wooded riverbanks, golf courses, and plenty of art and culture. Peoria is home to the Peoria Riverfront Museum, the Peoria Zoo, the Peoria Playhouse, and the John C. Flanagan House Museum. Bradley University is located here, and the streets are tree-lined and peaceful. Peoria is located along the Illinois River, roughly halfway between Chicago and St. Louis with about two hours to each.